Electronic article surveillance (EAS) is the most effective physical loss prevention technology available to retailers — used in over one million stores globally. But choosing the wrong system for your store environment leads to false alarms, missed detections, and wasted investment.
This guide explains how EAS works, compares the main technology types, and helps Perth retailers understand which system suits their store before calling for a quote.
Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) is a category of retail loss prevention technology that uses active tags or labels attached to merchandise to trigger an alarm if unpurchased goods pass through detection antennas at store exits. It is distinct from CCTV (which records what happens) and alarm systems (which detect intrusion after hours) — EAS operates during trading hours as a physical barrier at the exit.
Every EAS system has three core components working together:
Attached to merchandise on the floor. Active until deactivated or removed at checkout. Available as hard tags (reusable, mechanical removal) or soft labels (disposable, electromagnetic deactivation).
Pedestals installed at every store exit. Create an invisible detection field that activates when a live tag passes through. Available in narrow, standard, and wide-aisle configurations.
Detachers (for hard tags) or deactivators (for soft labels) installed at checkout. Legitimate purchases are deactivated before the customer reaches the exit — no alarm triggers.
The three main EAS technologies have different physical properties. Understanding them is the key to choosing the right system for your store.
Radio Frequency
Uses radio waves to detect resonant circuits embedded in tags and labels. Antennas broadcast a swept frequency — when a live tag enters the field, it absorbs and retransmits the signal, triggering the alarm.
Acousto-Magnetic
Uses vibrating metal strips (amorphous metal alloy) that resonate at exactly 58kHz when exposed to the antenna field. Because it operates at a single frequency, it's highly resistant to detuning by nearby metal and liquid products.
Electromagnetic
Uses thin amorphous metal strips embedded in products. The strip responds to a low-frequency magnetic field at the exit antenna. At checkout, the strip is demagnetised (deactivated). If a product is returned, the strip is remagnetised and becomes active again.
Common types: pencil tags (knitwear), lanyard tags (accessories/bags), spider wraps (boxes/electronics), bottle caps (liquor)
Ideal for: FMCG products, blister-packed items, cosmetics, health products, books
Mixed merchandise? We'll recommend a combined strategy after assessing your specific product mix and store layout during a free site visit.
We survey all exits, measure aisle widths, note shelving materials, and map the full product floor. Proper antenna placement is critical — poor placement reduces detection range and increases false alarms.
We recommend RF or AM based on your environment, specify tag types for each product category, and confirm how the POS deactivation will work with your existing checkout hardware.
Pedestals anchored at correct distances from walls and metal fixtures. Conduit laid according to installation specs. All cables concealed. System tested at maximum merchandise load before handover.
Deactivators installed at checkout and tested with full range of tag/label types. Staff trained on application, detachment, alarm response, and consumable reordering.
Book a free site assessment. We'll assess your store layout, product mix and environment — then recommend the right technology before you spend a dollar.